High-resolution thermogravimetry of poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-divinylbenzene)

Poly(4-vinylpyridine) crosslinked with 2 mol% divinylbenzene, i.e. poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-divinylbenzene) has been investigated by high-resolution thermogravimetry (TG) to ascertain its thermal stability and degradation kinetics in nitrogen and air at a variable heating rate. Experiments have been performed at a resolution of 4.0 and an initial heating rate of 50 degrees C/min from room temperature to 900 degrees C. The TG and derivative TG curves indicate a three stage decomposition. The poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-divinylbenzene) exhibits higher degradation temperature but lower kinetic parameters in nitrogen than in air. The results are compared with those of other authors derived using traditional TG at constant heating rates. The temperature, activation energy, reaction order, and natural logarithm of frequency factor of the thermal degradation for the poly(4-vinylpyridine- co-divinylbenzene) in nitrogen are 322 degrees C, 78 kJ/mol, 0.6, and 12 min(-1) respectively. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.